Valve mechanism



July 14, 1925.

- R. J. RILEY VALVE MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan! '7, 1924INVENTOR m @Q TTORNEY U fll| July 14, 1925. 1,545,696

R. J. RILEY VALVE MECHANISM 5 coggin and Patented July 14, l925.

RALPH JAMES RILEY, OF LIVERMORE FALLS, MAI INE.

' VALVE MECHANISM.

Application filed January 7, 1924. Serial No. 684,705.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH J. RILEY, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Livermore Falls, in the countyof Andros- State of Maine, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Valve Mechanisms, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to cut offs or valves for the control of fluids,and while it has particular reference to valve structures employedparticularly in the practice of wood pulp operations, it is to beunderstood that the scope of the invention is not to be unnecessarilyrestricted to any particular usage.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a valve structure inwhich there is a combined mechanism for power and hand manipulation ofthe slidable valve member orgate, the gates of these large valves beingso ponderous that power operation is desirable but in the event offailure f power for such purpose hand means may be utilized for thepurpose in an emergency.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for so looking thegate mech-- anism as to hold it from movement at any desired position.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an improved valve bodystructure with respect to the means for keeping the valve gate perfectlyfluid-tight; to provide improved clean-out means for the bottom end orfree edge portion of the gate remote from the power means, the clean-outdevices being manipulatable Without disturbing the position of the gateat such time; to pro vide improved packing means for the outer endportion of the gate, the type of valve shown being what iscommonlyreferred to as bonnetless, and other advantagesand purpose of theinvention will be pointed out as this description progresses.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in View the invention consists inthe arrange ment and combination of parts hereinafter described andclaimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact detailsof construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose ofillustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to theaccompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designateabout the line Fig. 2 is a central section at right angles 60 to Fig. land on the line 2-2 of the same which- Figure 1 is a front elevation ofa preferred embodiment of the invention, parts being in substantiallycentral section on 1-1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section on the line H of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a View corresponding practically emng the gate.

Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional details of the 70- the correspondingly wedgemechanism on numbered lines of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view character shown in Fig. 3 but indlcating afurther modification of valve seat tightener.

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional detail on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings I show my improved valveconstruction as embodying a main body tion comprising two parts 10 and11- having cooperating lugs or flanges 12 through which fasteners suchas bolts 13 may be passed in the usu al manner for locking them inoperative position. On their adjacent or mating faces the body membersare recessed at 14 to accommodate a. specially designed seat 15 groovedalong its central portionat both sides as at. 16 and slotted at itsbottom at 17. The cavity for the seat structure 15, moreover, ispreferably open at the bottom of the body members.

The gate 18 is shown as slidable vertically in the seat member 15 withits side edges guided in the grooves 16 and with its bottom edge inclosed position seated in the Surrounding the upper end porslot 17. tionof the gate is a packing gland or cap 19 having a flange or skirtportion 20 projected into a pit 21 filled with packing material, andwhen the cap 19 is tightened as by means of lag screws 22 entering lugs23 on the body members, a suitable degree of tightness will be providedon the gland so as to make the normally open end portion parts in theseveral views, and in to the lower portion of Fig. 1 and 111-, cheatinga slidable wedge means for tightof the general por- ' gate and for ofthe gate fluid-tight. At the bottom of the body is a clean-out plate 24having a tongue 25 entering the slot 17 and against which the bottomedge of the gate is adapted to abut. This clean-out cap or plate is heldremovably to the body structure by hanger bolts 26 shown as supportedupon the lowermost bolts 13 and entering end slots 27 in the clean-outplate or cap. A gasket 28 may be used if desired between the plate andthe bottom of the valve seat 15 to facilitate the tightening of thejoint.

While I indicate the gate as being arranged to open vertically, it istobe understood that such terms are to be considered relative rather thanabsolute for the valve is adapted for assemblage and use in any desiredposition.

For the operation of the large gates a power cylinder 29 is provided,the same being erected upon the bridge portion 30 of a yoke structure 31supported upon the body on opposite sides of the gate, the axis of thecylinder being preferably in alignment with the center or axis of thegate. Any suit-able means may be provided to control the admissionorexit of power fluid with respect to the cylinder such as indicated at32 and for the power fluid to operate'upon a piston 33 slidable in theusual manner in the cylinder and attached to the piston rod 34 clampedat its lower end by means of a frog 35 to the upper open end of thegate.

As a means for manually operating the locking the gate from movementthere are provided two parallel shafts 36 and 37 journaled in suitablebearings 38 on opposite sides of the yoke and preferably in the samehorizontal plane. A hand wheel 39 or its equivalent is connected as bymeans of a spline 40 to oneend of the shaft 36 on the outside of abearing 38, and adjacent to the other side of the same bearing is shownprovided a pinion 41 secured as upon a squared portion of the shaft 36,and adjacent to or hearing against the pinion is a collar 42fixed'rigidly as by a set screw 43 to the shaft. 1 The end of the shaftat the wheel hubis threaded at 44, and fixed to the threaded portion ofthe shaft is a looking member such as a nut 45 having a handle 46.Another pinion 41' is fixed to the remote end of the shaft 36 adjacentto the bearing 38 on that side of the yoke. A pair of racks 47 haveconstant meshing engagement with the p-inions 41 and 41' and are securedon their lower ends as by bolts 48 to the upper end of the gate. Thefree upper ends of the racks are guided through the bridge (portion 30of the yoke and are thereby hel in steady position, while opposite thepinions are arranged anti-friction rollers 49 on the shaft 37, and theserollers have main co-operative support to resist the action of thepinions tending to bend the racks. The nut 45 being sufficiently looseto permit the shaft 36 to rotate, the gate may be lifted either by meansof the power cylinder 29, or in the event of failure of the power forany reason the shaft 36 may be rotated by hand power applied to thewheel 39, and after the gate is lifted as high as desired, by tighteningthe nut 45 the wheel hub. and pinion .41 will be caused to grip upon theopposite end portions of the adjacent bearing 38, thereby fastening thegate in the desired position. Obviously the lag screws 22 will betightened from time to time to keep the packing gland suflicientlytight, and whenever desirable the clean-out plate 24 may be detached byloosening the hanger bolts 26 therefrom. The valve seat 15 is made ofsuitable material to resist wear and because of the packing devices atthe upper and lower ends thereof the seat 15 will be .continued inoperative condition for a long time, but if desired it may be renewedsimply by detaching it after removing the cap 19 and substituting afresh one.

In Figs. 5 to 7 is shown a type of gate 18 having formed along its sideedges a pair of beveled surfaces 50, preferably at the remote side fromwhich the flow of fluid is supposed to app-roach the gate, andco-operating with each of these beveled surfaces is a wedge 51 orreversely beveled surface formed on a wedge block 52. Each wedge 51projects inward toward the center of the gate through a slot 53 formedin the side or edge portion ofthe gate seat 15", and the wedge block towhich such wedge is attached is adjustable vertically along the seat 15by means'of a screw 54 journaled in a lug '55 formed on the valve bodyand having threaded engagement with a lug 56 on one end of the wedgeblock. Guide screws or pins 57 extend through slots 58 in the wedgeblock for holding the wedge block against the edge of the seat 15. It isobvious that by the tightening of the wedge from time to time the gateis adj ustable toward' the upper side of the gate seat 15 or the side towhich the flow is approach- 1n Tn Figs. 8 and 9 I indicate a furthermodification of means for ad'usting the renewable valve seat, this seatbeing shown in the form of an annulus 15 having an opening registeringwith the opening through the 15 will be screwed into place by means ofThe two securing said the co-operating threads 62 formed on itsperiphery and on the interior of the body port-ion 1l,the rack member 61at such time moving around in the clearance 63 in the plane of thehousing 59. After the seat is thus put in place the parts of the bodyare assembled and the gate will be introduced. By reciprocating theblock 60 up or down as by means of a handle 64 extending along a neck orguide 65, the seat annulus 15 will be given Suificient rotation to causethe threads 62 thereof to produce the desired tightening of the gate.

I claim:

1. In valve mechanism, the combination with a body, and a gate vslidabletherein, of an adjustable movable seat of U-form, said seat having a pitat its upper end, a gland member having a flange co-operating with saidseat within the pit thereof, means for gland member to exert a downwardforce upon said seat, said body-being slotted at its lower end toreceive said seat, and a member co-operating with said seat through saidslot to exert an upward force thereon to balance the; downward force ofthe gland member.

2. In, valve mechanism, the combination with a body, and a gate slidabletherein, of

within the body,

an adjustable seat movable members located transa pair of externalversely of said body upon opposite ends thereof, and screw meansco-operating with said body and said members to cause the same to exertforces directly upon said seat in opposite directions and thus to retainsaid seat in fixed predetermined position. within said body, the bodybeing slotted transversely at its upper and lower ends to permit saidmembers to act upon said seat, the upper slot being free to permit theseat to be moved therethrough while being acted upon by one of saidmembers.

In valve mechanism of the nature set forth, the combination of a valvebody, a seat member removably fitted in the body, a

slidable gate having direct co-operation with a the seat member, andmeans co-operating with the seat member for tightening the contactbetween it and the gate,said seat member being provided'with a pitthrough which the gate is slidably projected and a gland cap surroundingan adjacent portion of the gate and having a skirt 'portion projectedinto the pit and screw threaded means for tightening the cap.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

RALPH JAMES RILEY.

